THE STRUGGLE FOR IRAQ: THE SOLDIERS

THE STRUGGLE FOR IRAQ: THE SOLDIERS; In the Ranks, Similarities Between Vietnam and Iraq

By ELIZABETH BECKER

Published: November 2, 2003

Correction Appended

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1—
It is a different war in a different era, fought by a different American Army. Yet the emerging profile of the soldiers, sailors, pilots and other service members dying in Iraq bears a surprising similarity to those who lost their lives in the Vietnam War.

It is a snapshot of a new, unresolved conflict, based on preliminary information from the Defense Department, which in some ways is hard to compare with the rich history of a war that stretched out over more than a decade and claimed more than 52,000 American lives.

However inexact, the early comparison does suggest that death remains the great leveler -- despite 30 years of a voluntary Army, revolutionary changes in technology in all branches and the new military doctrines that have evolved since the Vietnam War ended in 1975.

Southern and Western states may provide far more members to the American military today than during the Vietnam-era draft. But so far the geographic distribution of deaths in Iraq includes men (and a few women) from every state except Hawaii, Montana and West Virginia.

Pentagon leaders may be worried about the mass call-up of Reserves and the National Guard for this war. But these groups are represented on the death rolls in roughly the same proportion in Iraq as in Vietnam.

The military is better integrated today and more of a melting pot than it was 30 years ago. But the percentage of deaths of blacks in Iraq is also roughly the same as in Vietnam. (There was no category for Hispanic fighters in that era.)

The soldiers in Iraq are older and more likely to have a family than was the case for soldiers in Vietnam.

But so far, the proportion of married people killed in Iraq appears to be smaller than it was in Vietnam.

Despite changes in technology and warfare since Vietnam, enlisted men and women make up most of the casualties now as then.

These similarities are of more than historical interest, say experts, who are seeing signs of unease about the war among Americans as casualties slowly mount.

Charles C. Moskos, a professor of sociology at Northwestern University, said that these similarities were striking and that they were partly responsible for the growing questioning of the war. ''Even with these relatively low casualties, you can see disenchantment in the public as the casualties mount,'' he said.

The Iraq war has brought a new kind of casualty, though: women now account for 2 percent of the deaths. The numbers may seem small: five women have died. In all the years of the Vietnam War, only eight American women died.

But the greatest difference is the absence in Iraq of waves of young men killed in action. In Vietnam, 60 percent of the deaths were men no older than 21. In Iraq, there have been more deaths of men and women between 25 and 30 than of those younger than 22.

William Hammond, a Vietnam historian of the Army, said that how the public viewed the war was closely tied to whether it accepted casualties. In Korea and Vietnam, he said, there was a mathematical precision to a drop in public acceptance of the war and the increase in casualties.

One anomaly in the casualty list is a high rate of suicides among the military in Iraq compared with the troops in Vietnam. This does not square with reports that say morale is good in Iraq.

Chart/Map: ''The Toll on the Military'' Since March 19, 360 service members have died in the war, and 222 of them from May through October. Two more died yesterday. By type of death HOSTILE Through April 30: 115 Since May 1: 119+ Total: 234+ NONCOMBAT* Through April 30: 23 Since May 1: 103 Total: 126 *Total includes 81 from accidents, 15 from illnesses, 3 homicides, 10 from self-inflicted wounds and 17 for which the cause is undetermined or pending. +Includes 3 deaths about which full information is not available. MAY 1 President Bush declares end of major combat operations By service ARMY Through April 30: 66 Since May 1: 196 Total: 262 MARINE CORPS Through April 30: 65 Since May 1: 17 Total: 82 NAVY Through April 30: 3 Since May 1: 4 Total: 7 AIR FORCE Through April 30: 4 Since May 1: 2 Total: 6 (Details were not available for three deaths.) By age 21 AND YOUNGER Through April 30: 33 Since May 1: 58 Total: 91 22 TO 24 Through April 30: 30 Since May 1: 37 Total: 67 25 TO 30 Through April 30: 35 Since May 1: 61 Total: 96 31 TO 35 Through April 30: 19 Since May 1: 29 Total: 48 36 AND OLDER Through April 30: 21 Since May 1: 34 Total: 55 By sex MEN Through April 30: 137 Since May 1: 215 Total: 352 WOMEN Through April 30: 1 Since May 1: 4 Total: 5 By duty status ACTIVEDUTY Through April 30: 127 Since May 1: 173 Total: 300 GUARD AND RESERVE Through April 30: 11 Since May 1: 46 Total: 57 The wounded HOSTILE Through April 30: 551 Since May 1: 1,219 Total: 1,770 NONCOMBAT Through April 30: 135 Since May 1: 205 Total: 340 (Sources by Department of Defense; Central Command) Map of the United States highlighting the number of deaths by state.

Correction: November 3, 2003, Monday A legend yesterday above a chart with an article about the pace of American military deaths in Iraq referred incorrectly in some copies to the period during which 357 American service members died. That figure covered the full course of the war, through Oct. 31. It was not just for the period from May through October.